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T O P I C R E V I E W

Robert Pearlman

The Washington Post reports that Glen P. Wilson, 82, who worked on a Senate space and astronautics committee and for NASA and was executive director emeritus of the National Space Society, a space advocacy group, died Jan. 8 at a hospice in Fort Worth. He had diabetes.

A psychologist by training, he was working in his native Texas when he was summoned in 1955 with his wife to join the Washington office of then-Sen. Lyndon B. Johnson (D-Tex.), the majority leader. Dr. Wilson was a staff assistant, and his wife was a secretary, and they shared mutual friends with Johnson.

A Johnson protege, Dr. Wilson soon joined the staff of the Senate's Special Committee on Space and Astronautics. His function initially was to interview specialists and analyze technical data so the committee had guidelines as it wrote the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 and created the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

He later was involved in research and development, technology assessment and policy planning. He remained with the committee until its termination in 1977 as part of a Senate reorganization.

The next year, NASA hired him to develop the Shuttle Student Involvement Program to spur student interest through suggestions on possible experiments to conduct aboard the shuttle. Before retiring in 1982, he received NASA's Exceptional Service Medal.

Glen Parten Wilson Jr. was born in Waco, Tex., and raised in Houston. He was an aviation electronics technician in the Navy during World War II and also worked for Lockheed Aircraft Co. in Burbank, Calif.

He was an aeronautical engineering graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, where he also received his master's degree and doctorate in psychology.

From 1984 to 1988, Dr. Wilson was executive director of what is now the National Space Society, a nonprofit organization that promotes space-related activities. He oversaw his group's merger with the like-minded L5 Society. He continued to serve on the board until his death.

He moved to Fort Worth from Washington in 2001.

His first wife, Marie D. Wilson, longtime executive secretary of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, died in 1980. His second marriage, to Alice Wilson, ended in divorce.

Survivors include a half brother, Dr. Thomas W. Wilson of Fort Worth.

I remember Glen fondly, who I met shortly after arriving at the National Space Society's headquarters as an intern (and later staff member) in 1996. He took an interest in the web work I was doing and I was fascinated with the stories he would share about the very early days of NASA's creation within Congress. He will be missed.

Robert Pearlman

National Space Society release

National Space Society remembers Glen Wilson

The National Space Society was deeply saddened by the passing of Glen Wilson, executive director emeritus of the society.

Dr. Wilson was a tireless advocate for space exploration, and led the National Space Institute through its merger with the L5 Society to create the current National Space Society.

Leaders of the society, past and present, offered the following thoughts in memory of Dr. Wilson.

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"From the very beginning, Glen worked hard helping to keep the fledgling National Space Institute afloat, and later, during its blossoming and the merging that brought into being the NSS, he was a stalwart supporter. He will be missed by those who knew him."

Hugh DownsChairman, Board of GovernorsAuthor and television host

"I knew Dr. Wilson as a staunch supporter of America's, and humanity's, efforts to advance space exploration and development. We became well acquainted soon after I came to Washington DC in 1987. Always seeking to bring other 'believers' into the action of space advocacy he solicited my involvement in the National Space Society. With a characteristically vigorous and sometimes emotional appeal Glen convinced me to volunteer for board and executive positions. He was a steadying, reasoning and seasoned force in founding and guiding the NSS. I am greatly saddened by his death. He is already missed, but the energy of his leadership and conviction has lit a star that will continue to shine."

"Glen Wilson provided critical leadership to the National Space Society over the past 20 years. He was instrumental in developing the Aerospace Industry Advisory Council and negotiating the successful merger between the National Space Institute and the L-5 Society. Personally, Dr. Wilson was one of the most influential people in my professional life -- providing a lifetime worth of education about the formation of NASA and supporting me in my post-NSS career. Glen cared deeply for the space program and his enthusiasm and support for the program will be greatly missed."

"Glen was responsible for getting me into NASA. He recruited me from FASST to come manage the Shuttle Student Involvement Program and arranged to have my personnel paperwork walked through the system to expedite my being hired. As it turned out, I signed on the day before the inauguration of Reagan. This was significant because the first thing Reagan did after being sworn in was to sign a Federal government hiring freeze. Had Glen not been so diligent, I'm sure my career would have taken a much different path."

Alan LadwigFormer Board DirectorFormer NASA Associate Administrator

"Glen was a mentor for many of us in the space advocacy movement, encouraging us to join and empowering us to participate. He cared very deeply about the importance of creating human communities beyond Earth's orbit, and the dedication that he passed on to others is his enduring legacy."